On Tuesday April 24 Cedar Rapids City Council will accept the donation of property from LCTA for development of the Lindale Trail. Linn County Trails Association has been working to develop a significant recreational trail and an important bicycle commuting route to Rockwell Collins. Blairs Ferry Rd from C Ave NE to Lindale Drive is a narrow 4 lane busy thoroughfare and is not a safe bicycle commuting route! There are currently no bicycle trail connections between the two largest cities in the metropolitan area; Marion and Cedar Rapids. This project supports a Blue Zones Initiative objective of promoting healthy lifestyle by making it feasible for many employees to commute to Rockwell Collins and other nearby businesses by bicycle or walking. Non-motorized commuting supports the new Cedar Rapids iGreenCR program since it is environmentally sound to reduce automobile traffic.
LCTA has purchased an abandoned railroad right-of-way within the Cedar Rapids City Limits in order to extend the Lindale Trail east from the C Ave/Blairs Ferry Rd NE intersection to Marion City Limits. LCTA is donating the property (6.37 acres, approximately 2000 ft of trail) to the City of Cedar Rapids. Access to the trail from C Ave is via an existing easement through the IBEW property. Entry from C Ave is in front of the Walgreens Drug Store or from Blairs Ferry Rd east of the Road Ranger convenience store. The Cedar Rapids Comprehensive Trails Plan will eventually connect it to the Cedar River trail from the west and the Marion trails plan will eventually connect it to the Grant Wood Trail from the east. LCTA has been working with the cities of Cedar Rapids and Marion to develop the donated property at minimum cost by using city staff and equipment. LCTA recently completed a cleanup project on the property. It took three Solid Waste Agency trucks to haul away all the accumulated trash of the abandoned railway.
LCTA and the Cedar Rapids Staff are co-chairs of the Blue Zones Walkability/Bikeablity Initiative. The Lindale Trail project is an example of what can be accomplished when we bring the communities together in a cooperative effort to make Cedar Rapids and the entire Metro Area a healthier community!